


Café Parapluie

by Skeleton_Keyes



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Cafe AU, Comfort, Confessing love, Drug Mentions, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, mature language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:28:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22533268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skeleton_Keyes/pseuds/Skeleton_Keyes
Summary: Klaus is an art student who likes to come to a particular cafe to work on his new designs! This time, he's frantically working to get his designs done before the annual student fashion show. Only this time, there's someone new working..someone quite interesting.
Relationships: Dave/Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	1. Vanilla Latte

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first T.U.A fic so I hope you enjoy!

“French Vanilla Latte for-...Klow-ss?” 

Klaus Hargreeves sat at a small table in the corner of the cafe, furiously scribbling away at a sketchpad, his laptop propped open in front of him. His brow furrowed with concentration, so much so that he completely missed them calling his name.

“Here, I think this is that guys, will you bring this to him?”

“Ahah!” his eyes lit up, he feverishly scrambled to find and colored pencil among his clutter of things spread out around him. When he found it he grabbed it triumphantly and raised it to the light, trying to get a good look at the color. He was met with the face of a confused looking barista, holding a steaming cup of something in his hand. On the side were the letters ‘C-L-A-W-S-E’ scrawled in messy handwriting. 

“Um..I think this is yours, French Vanilla Latte, 3 shots of espresso, right?” The barista smiled sheepishly. “Damn, I can see why you need all that now.” he chuckled, looking down at the table and noting all the random pages and cut out pictures from magazines strewn about. 

“Oh, uhhh yeah, that’s me.” he reached out for the drink, a slight smile on his face. The deep purple bags under his eyes caught the eyes just right to make him look like he hadn’t even seen a bed in weeks. 

“Yikes, man, you don’t look so hot. I think maybe instead of coffee you should probably just sleep.” the barista but his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow. “What’s all this for anyway, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“It’s for the art school I go to, I’m a fashion designer and we have the annual fashion show coming up. Designs are due next week and I’m only like halfway done. I’m a little stressed if you couldn’t tell.” he said, a twinge of sarcasm seeping into his voice. He nodded his head towards the counter as if to say ‘Can you please go back to working now?’. 

  
“Oh that sounds awesome! Well I hope that things work out for you. What you’ve already got looks really cool.” He smiled at him, his eyes bright and earnest. “Well, I’ve gotta get back to work, but before you leave you should come by and show me what you’ve got, I’d really like to see it. Oh, and if you don’t mind, maybe you could give me some more info on the show? I’d love to watch.” he nodded before awkwardly turning on his heels and heading back to his station behind the counter.

Klaus blinked, no one had ever taken in interest in him like that before. No one had even really talked to him like that before, not even his own family. In fact, the last time he saw his family he was almost killed. This was a nice change of pace. But he really didn’t need to be getting into something like this right now. Especially not after his last boyfriend, that was a fucking nightmare. Right now he was focusing on himself, and occasionally when he wanted to, he call some guy up, or look for someone on grindr, and have a casual one night stand. But he didn’t want that with this guy, he didn’t act like all the other assholes he’d come across. But he knew that he himself  _ was  _ one of those assholes, and that this barista, whoever he was, deserved someone who wasn’t an asshole.

He went back to sketching, his vigor somewhat lost. His eyes wandered over to this mystery barista every so often, his mind raging a war on itself inside. Should he talk to him? What would he say? Is it even a good idea? Absolutely not. You’ll just mess it up. It’s a horrible idea.

He sighed, his inspiration and his energy completely gone. He took a deep swig of his coffee, a shiver running through his spine. He really needed it. He looked down at his cup. 

“God fucking dammit.” he had only just now noticed that his name was spelled wrong, again, depsite him  _ telling  _ them how to spell it. Turning down that highschool kid all those months ago really cost him in ways he didn’t really think about. At least the coffee was good, right?

Wait.

The coffee was  _ really  _ good, which was a scarce reality to be living. He looked down at the cup, and then back up at the barista whom he’d spoken to earlier. He came to the conclusion that he must be new, which is why he was so nice, and why he’d never seen him before.

This cafe was the best spot to get things done, minimal distractions, free wifi, and an endless supply of caffeine, assuming he had the money. He took another sip of his latte, a smile creeping onto his face. 

He shook his head,  _ not now Kluas _ , he thought to himself. He gathered his papers and put them into various folders. One by one he slipped them into his satchel, making sure everything was in order. Finally, he carefully slipped in his laptop and his charger. He stood up, stretching his back and legs, groaning to himself. He looked at that ever so annoying ticking clock on the wall beside him.  _ Holy shit. _ He’d been there for a good 5 or 6 hours, maybe even longer. He looked down and realized how many empty coffee cups lay discarded on his table. He scooped them up and carried them to the trash can.

He started towards the door but was stopped by a voice calling out behind him.

“Hey! Wait a sec, we close in like 10 minutes, do you think you could wait? I’d really really love to hear about your designs.”

Klaus peered over his shoulder and saw that same barista, looking at him much like a dog would like at its owner when it wanted to go for a walk. How was he supposed to say no? 

“I suppose so, I can stay.” he flashed him a small smile and plopped down near the door. He watched him work, studying him, noting his movements and interactions with the other employees. He found himself getting more and more interested in this guy, he moved the cup to his lips once more only to find that it was empty. He looked down at it with a frown, shaking it a little to feel if there was anything else left in the bottom. He stood up dejectedly and shuffled over to the trash can. He pushed open the little flap that said “Thank you” in big letters and was about to drop it in before that same voice once again called out to him.

“Hey, do you want a refill on that? You can put it on my tab.”

Klaus turned around to find that this barista, who he just realized he never learned the name of, was drying his hands off and looking at the empty cup in his hand. “Oh, that would be awesome actually.” he walked over to the counter and held it out to him. 

The barista laughed. “Actually I didn’t mean like that, I can just make you a new one.” he smiled at him. “I guess I didn’t really make that clear, sorry about that.” 

Klaus felt embers in his cheeks, not yet burning, but warming up his face enough to turn a light shade of red. “That’s okay, I’ll just toss this one then.” he tried to return the smile, but it was evident that he was extremely nervous. He hadn’t been this nervous around anybody in ages. Actually now that he thought about it, he didn’t know if he had ever been this nervous around anyone. He was always so confident around the guys he wanted to get with, since he knew just what they wanted to hear, and how to get in their pants. But with this guy, he didn’t want any of that, and he didn’t know what was going on behind those radiant crystal blue eyes. 

He turned his back on him and made his way back to the trash, dropping his cup in its final resting place among the numerous other that he had emptied before. He took a deep breath, trying to right himself, trying to focus.

He jammed his hands in the pockets of his raggedy jacket and he was suddenly very aware of how disheveled he looked. He tried not to let it get to him, but he couldn’t help it. Usually it didn’t bother him, he never felt insecure, but he felt like his usual trashy look just wasn’t gonna cut if for this guy.

_ What do you mean “Cut it for this guy”? You’re not trying to get anything. He just wants to see your designs. Maybe you guys can be friends. You don’t really have any of those.  _

He made his way back to the counter and pushed himself up so he could sit on it comfortably, if that didn’t tell this guy he was gay, I don’t know what would. 

“So, are you into fashion?” Klaus asked, his eyes fixed on a loose string on his homemade jacket. He began wrapping it around his finger, needing to fidget with something.

“Yeah! I’ve always found it super cool, though I never really could get into myself.” The barista replied, his gaze fixed on the got liquid he was pouring. He seemed to be really good at multitasking.

“Well you know, I could teach you a thing or two if you wanted.” Klaus shrugged, not daring to look up at him.

“Dude, really?? That would be amazing!” 

Klaus was forced to look up when a steaming cup of coffee was pushed into his vision. He carefully took it, smelling it deeply. “Holy shit, this smells amazing.” he looked up at his face, which hadn’t ever been this close to him in there entire encounter. He noted how effortless his golden blond hair sat atop his almost perfectly sculpted head. His almond shaped eyes lived about a somewhat large nose, but not too big that it overpowered the rest of his face. His lips really weren’t anything special, Klaus had seen much fuller, but he’d never wanted to kiss a pair more in his life.

“Oh yeah, thanks, I’ve been trying to get it just right. I started working here last week.” he nervously rubbed the back of his head.

Kalus took a deep sip, savoring every second. He let out what would be perceived as quite a sexual moan in any other circumstances. “Holy fuck dude, that’s the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my life.” he closed his eyes, licking his lips.

“Really? It’s that good?” 

“Better.” Klaus grinned, opening his eyes and looking on his apron for his name tag. 

“Dave, huh? It’s nice to meet you.” he held out his hand.

Dave took it and gave it a firm shake, a grin on his face.

“What do you say we get out of here? I’d love to show you some of the stuff I’ve made.” he asked him, not wanting to let go of his hand.

“I’d really like that.” Dave replied, not wanting to let go either.

Their hands lingered for a moment before Klaus finally let go to push himself off the counter. He strode towards the door and held it open. “After you, Monsieur.” he smirked, holding his arm out, gesturing towards the outdoors.

Dave took off his apron and hung it on a hook along the wall before quickly making his way around the counter and out of the door.


	2. French Press

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In continuation from last time, they walk over to Klaus' place so he can share some work! I'd love to tell you more but I don't wanna give anything away, I hope you like it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think of this chapter!

A shiver snaked its way up Klaus’ thin frame. He wrapped his arms tightly around his middle, letting out a breath and watching fog form in front of his face. He frowned, he didn’t expect it to be this cold tonight, and the sun was going down, it was going to get even colder. “Lovely weather, h-huh?” his teeth chattered, he roughly rubbed his arms trying to create some friction to warm himself. This only made it worse, goosebumps sprouted up on his arms and legs, the sound of his rattling teeth grew louder.

“Oh, man you look freezing, here take this.” Dave shouldered his thick jacket off and draped it over Klaus’ shoulders.

“Oh that’s okay, dude, I don’t want you getting cold or whatever. I’m the dumbass who didn’t wear a coat in the first place.” Klaus chuckled, his voice shaking as he shivered.

“It’s okay, I grew up in Minnesota, the cold doesn’t really bother me. And besides, this weather is honestly nothing.” he shrugged, a puff of fog emanated from his lips as he let out a laugh. “This feels like summertime to me.” he smirked, digging his hands into the pockets of his pants.

“Minnesota? What brings you to New York?” Klaus pushed his arms through the sleeves, and wrapping the loose jacket around himself. A pleasant musk wafted up towards his nose and he couldn’t help but bury his face in it and take a deep breath.

“Honestly? I don’t really know. I guess I just wanted to do something my parents didn’t think I could do. My brothers all stayed in our hometown, I’m pretty much the only one to move away in our whole family. They all think I’m an embarrassment for not staying in the farming family business. I just graduated from New York University for dance, actually.” he rubbed the back of his head, a nervous tone seeping into his voice as he spoke.

“Wait holy shit, you went to N.Y.U? That’s amazing! I’d love to see you dance sometime, I’m not much of a dancer myself. Well, I love to do it, but I don’t think I’m very good.” 

“Hey, I’m sure that’s not true. I could always teach you a thing or two if you wanted me to. You know, it’d be sorta like a trade.” he offered, stealing a glance in his direction.

“That’d be really nice actually, I’ve got a studio attached to my place. My dad was kinda rich, so I got lots of money when he died.” he felt his cheeks heat up, shame filling his chest.

“Oh man, I’m really sorry for your loss.” he put a hand on his shoulder as they stopped at a crosswalk, the red light glaring off the pools of water below their feet. Cars rushed by, forcing gusts of cold New York wind that called burning tears to their eyes.

“It’s not really a loss, a gain more like it. My family and I aren’t very close, in fact the last time I saw my brother, he almost killed me. My father wasn’t any better, he wanted us to be the brightest and smartest in the world, he wanted us to grow up to be doctors and world leaders who would ‘save the world’ or whatever.” Klaus shrugged, waving his hand absently.

“I kinda get that, my family doesn’t talk to me ever since I..um.” Dave let his hand fall back to his side, where it found its way back into the depths of his pocket.

“Since..since what?” Klaus turned to him, taking a step closer.

“Since..” Dave took a deep breath, shaking his head and straightening his posture. “Since I came out as gay.”

Klaus whipped his head around, his eyes wide, he had a chance. “Oh! I didn’t realize you were um..” he turned away, quickly realizing that he was staring at the man next to him, which probably alarmed him. “Into men..” he mumbled quietly, cringing internally at the most awkward possible reaction he could have had. 

“Yeah, I am.” Dave rocked on the balls of his feet, eyeing the crosswalk sign across the street, trying to will it into changing.

“Okay, let me try again I’m sorry. I just got weird because I’m gay too and I didn’t really expect you to be.” He hung his head, quite ashamed that he had reacted so poorly. 

“Oh that’s fine, Klaus! I get it. I’m super relieved to hear you say that though. I’ve been having trouble finding other gay guys which is weird considering where we live.” He let out a hearty laugh, his nose scrunching up, his eyes pressing into happy arch’s. “I’ve actually considered Grindr.”

“NO.”

“What?? Why not?”

“It’s the worst possible thing you could do, trust me. I’ve had some pretty horrible experiences on there. I know plenty of gay guys if you’re looking for someone..” The crosswalk sign blinked blue and the stick figure man frozen in a walking position signaled them to go. 

Dave took a step of the curb, slightly splashing in the puddle below. “Um.. actually I think I’m good on that.”

“So you have a boyfriend?” Klaus scurried to keep up with him, still in shock at what he just confessed.

“I never said that.” Dave glanced down at him, his cheeks tinted pink. 

“So you’re not looking for one?” Klaus asked, almost literally deflating.

“I never said that either.” Dave rolled his eyes, sighing. “Listen, I think you’re cute, dude. That’s kinda why I told you I was gay.”

“Oh.” Klaus blinked. If you looked far enough in his eyes you could probably see the loading bar in his head. “Oh!” There it is. “Well I think you’re cute too! I’m really glad you think so.” He grinned, feeling quite proud of himself. 

Klaus pointed in front of them. “My place is right up here, if you wanna come in for awhile. I’m not saying we do anything like that, in fact I prefer we didn’t. But maybe I could show you some of my work, you could teach me some moves, then maybe we could watch a movie?” He suggested hopefully. 

“That sounds really nice actually.” Dave smiled at him, but this time it was a soft smile, a genuine smile, the smile you get when you see a cute animal, or you receive flowers from someone you admire. 

Klaus stopped, turning away from him to hide his flustered face. He fumbled with the keys in his pants pocket and jammed it in the door. It squeaked open on its rusty hinges, pieces of chipped paint falling to the floor. “I promise it’s nicer on the inside.” 

He led the way up some creaking wooden stairs to a nice studio apartment. The far wall was all windows, the moonlight show down on racks and work tables and fabrics strewn about on the floor. To the left was an open door, inside was a bedroom. The walls were lined with paintings and magazine cutouts. At the foot of the bed stood a large television on an old looking entertainment system. To the right of the was an open kitchen with stainless steel appliances and granite counters. Near the work area was a few couches and chairs with a glass coffee table with books and cups on top. Next to the kitchen was another door, this one was closed, presumably the bathroom. 

“Home sweet home.” Klaus sighed, removing his jacket and handing it to Dave who took it without looking at him. He was too busy taking in the whole apartment. Klaus shuffled to his bedroom and plopped his laptop bag on his bed. He removed his sketchbook and walked back over to his work area, flipping on the various lamps one by one. He set down his sketchbook on a work table before moving over to the couches and chairs and flopping down in an overstuffed looking chair. 

“This place..is amazing.” Dave stood in awe, his eyes wide. He kicked off his shoes and left them by the front door. He made his way to the many racks of clothes and began studying each piece carefully. 

“Those are some pieces for the show, some are old some are new.” Klaus said, moving his hand to cover a yawn that overcame him. 

“Dude.. these are stunning. You’re amazing! I don’t think I could ever make anything like this.” He shook his head, glancing over at him. 

“Don’t underestimate yourself, everyone has an inner artist in them, I know you’ve got a fashion designer in you.” Klaus leaned down and took off his shoes before gracefully stepping over to him. 

Dave felt his cheeks warm, he turned his face away. “I’m not sure that’s true, but I could try.” 

Klaus picked up his sketchbook and grabbed some pencils and brought it over. “Show me what you got then, you can draw anything.” 

He swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He stared at the pencils in his hand, fear over taking his body. “I-I don’t know, I’m gonna mess it up.”

Klaus set the utensils in front of him on the desk. “And? Do you think I didn’t mess up? Do you think the greatest artist ever didn’t mess up? How are you gonna learn if you don’t mess up? Failure is part of being an artist, Dave. That’s how you learn.” He smiled gently, reaching out to rub his arm reassuringly. 

Dave softened, letting out a breath and looking at the sketch pad and pencils on the table. He took a step towards them and opened the book to a blank page. He picked up the pencils and rolled it around in his hand a bit. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, and slowly let it out. He opened his eyes and got to work.

Hunched over, he scribbled quite furiously on the sketchbook. His brow furrowed, his tongue was sticking out with concentration. He set down his regular pencil and grabbed some colors without missing a beat. 

Klaus walked to the far corner of the room, trying to keep his curiosity from making him look over his shoulder, wanting the final result to be a surprise. He made it to his record player, underneath sat his vast record collection. He chose a Louis Armstrong record and slipped it out of its cover. He gently laid it on the track and lightly placed the needle down. 

Sound poured out of the speakers, filling the room with the sweet sound of trumpet. His hips started to sway, he shut his eyes and hummed along quietly.

His mind began to wander, imagining so many romantic moments that he could have, Louis always made him feel this way. He thought of open fields full of beautiful flowers. He thought of floating down a river in Venice, the gorgeous buildings looming over them. He thought of trekking up a huge hill, laying down a blanket at the top, and stargazing for hours, pointing out every constellation they could remember and making up the ones they couldn’t.

“I’m done!” Dave announced proudly, holding up his pencil in the air. He turned around to look at Klaus, who was bobbing his head steadily to the beat, completely unaware. Dave watched him for a moment, deciding that he would let him have this, besides he was quite nice to watch. He wondered what it was he was thinking about, he was clearly deep in thought about something. He remembered he didn’t know much about this guy, but he really wanted to know more. He was fascinating! He was an amazing artist, a really sweet guy with an awesome sense of style, and they actually seemed to have a lot in common. 

“Klaus?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Oh! My bad, I just get caught up in this sometimes. Let’s see what you got!.” he sashayed over to the work table and peered down at the drawing. He studied the beautiful array of colors, the interesting neckline and silhouette, it was a little rough, but not like anything he’d seen before. “This is wonderful, Dave! You’ve got a natural talent for this. Do you know how to sew?”

“A little bit, we always had to repair clothes and stuff back on the farm.” he shrugged, scratching the back of his head with a chuckle. “You really like it?” he asked, glancing back and forth between his drawing and Klaus.

“Yeah! You could really do something with that, you could work with me on stuff if you wanted some time.” Klaus looked up at him, a bright smile on his face. 

“I’d really love that!” Dave wrapped him up in a tight hug, a huge grin plastered on his face.

Klaus let out a small yelp in surprise, but quickly melted into his embrace. He returned the hug, shutting his eyes in relaxation. 

“O-Oh! Sorry about that.” Dave stepped back quickly, his face bright red. “I suppose it’s time for your dance lesson, huh?” he tilted his ear towards the record player, listening to the song.  _ La Vi en Rose  _ danced off the walls, the sound of trumpet filling him with a sense of ease. “I actually really love this song.” he smiled, reaching out a hand. “May I have this dance?” 

Klaus felt his heart drop, heat rose in his chest. “I-I um..sure, if you want.” he shakily took his hand and Dave pulled him closer, resting one hand on his hip. 

“Now put your hand on my shoulder.” he whispered in his ear. “And don’t worry, just follow my lead.” he added.

Klaus nodded, resting a hand on his muscular shoulder. “W-Wait..” he pulled away for a moment, just to turn off the lamps around them, leaving only the moonlight shining down on them. He scurried back, taking his hand and interlocking their fingers as he easily returned to the right position.

Dave took a step, swaying to the rhythm of the song. He closed his eyes quietly humming to himself. 

Klaus took a deep breath, doing his best to relax, and just follow Dave’s lead. They fell into a steady rhythm together, Klaus slowly picking up the steps. He focused on his voice, which he thought was one of the most beautiful he’d ever heard, he could listen to it for days.

Dave pulled him closer to his chest, his breaths steady and slow. He moved his hand to the small of Klaus’ back, forcing Klaus to move his hand to the back of his neck.

Klaus pressed his cheek to his chest, breathing out a sigh and letting his eyes flutter shut. He noted to himself that this was a memory he never wanted to forget, even if this boy never talked to him ever again, this was something he wanted to remember for the rest of his life. The sound of his heart beat filled his ears, it was fast, but he could hear it start to slow down as they continued dancing.

Dave pulled away, causing Klaus to panic, he opened his eyes and looked up at him with concern. But Dave looked calm, he looked happy. He gazed deep into his eyes, which if he wasn’t too scared to speak, he would have told him looked much like the ocean. 

Dave leaned in, his eyelids falling shut once more. He pressed his lips softly to Klaus’, pulling him that much closer and rubbing small circles into the small of his back with this thumb.

Klaus exhaled deeply, melting into the kiss, lacing his fingers into his hair. This felt right to him, even if it was strange. He had just met this guy, but goddammit if it he didn’t feel like he had known him his whole life. 

Dave pulled away, his chest quickly rising and falling. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The crescendo of the trumpet matched the enormous smile glued on both of their faces. When the record ended, all that could be heard was soft breathing.

“Movie time?” Klaus whispered to him, gently placing a kiss on his cheek. 

“As long as we get to cuddle.” Dave teased, chuckling.

“Of course.” 

Klaus took didn’t let go of his hand as he led him to the bedroom, a warm fuzzy feeling clouding his head.

They spent the rest of the night watching movies together, kissing, cuddling, laughing, and eventually falling into a peaceful slumber together.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! And if there's anything you'd like to see!


End file.
